Smithsonite (beautiful color) (Cadmium-bearing)

Item Description

These attractive Smithsonite specimens from Wenshan were found around 2003-2005. They were actually hoarded and held back, and only released in the last few years. The yellow color is due to cadmium content, as is the case with the yellow Smithsonite specimen from Tsumeb, Italy, and Mexico. These particular Chinese pieces are very similar to the old classic Italian Smithsonites from the 1800s. This specimen hosts a coverage of beautiful yellow colored botryoidal formations of Smithsonite on oxidized matrix. You can see underneath the yellow layer that the Smithsonite has a softer silvery hue, so the cadmium was only deposited during the late stage of the Smithsonite formation. This seems to have been a lost locality, and I have seen no specimens attributed to recent collecting here. Don't miss out on this one as very few are available on the market now.